The Jim Rome Show
The Jim Rome Show is a sports radio talk show hosted by Jim Rome. It airs live for three hours each weekday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Pacific (12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Eastern). The show is produced in Los Angeles, California, syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks, the programming arm of Clear Channel Communications, and can be heard on more than 200 affiliate radio stations in the U.S. and Canada, as well as on the Internet from Rome's official website. History of the show The Jim Rome Show began on XTRA Sports 690 in San Diego as a local, five-hour nighttime program, running from 7:00 p.m. to midnight Pacific. (In addition to this show, Rome frequently hosted a Saturday morning show which he nowadays refers to as "Scrub Saturday.") At a later time, the popularity of the nightly show prompted a shift to a four-hour daytime slot, running weekdays from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Pacific. In 1996, Clear Channel Communications picked up the program for national syndication. Some time after syndication began, the show was shortened by one hour, and the broadcast location was shifted from XTRA Sports 690 to the Premiere Radio Networks studio complex in Sherman Oaks, California, near Los Angeles. In late 2006, as part of Rome's new contract, he was granted a new studio, and the introduction was changed to describe the show as coming from "Southern California". In March 2007, the introduction reverted announcing the location as Los Angeles. Show personnel In addition to Rome, the behind-the-scenes personnel are frequently included in the show's content, although very rarely with speaking roles. Nature of the show The Jim Rome Show, also known as "The Jungle," consists of Rome's opinions on issues in sports, entertainment, and off-beat news; interviews with athletes and celebrities; and telephone calls and emails from listeners. The show's most notable attributes are extensive use of "smack" (Rome's term for "gloatful, uninhibited, and unbridled" sports talk, peppered with personal jargon), name-calling, sarcastic humor, and "takes" -- set-piece diatribes delivered by Rome and the "Clones" (loyal listeners, aka Jim Rome wannabes). Rome has stated on numerous occasions (especially when announcing new affiliate stations) that it can be difficult for new listeners to enjoy the show, as there is a steep learning curve before they can fully understand the format, content, and vernacular. He has also compared acquiring a taste for the show to acquiring a taste for beer, and recommends to new listeners: "Give it two weeks. If you still don't like it, give it two more weeks." Show format and content Nicknames Rome enjoys giving people and places (especially selected affiliate cities) humorous nicknames. He refers to his loyal fanbase as "The Clones" (derived from listeners who will often "parrot" Rome's takes, as though they were clones of Rome himself), while he himself is called "Van Smack" (a nickname derived from, and originally given to, Nick Van Exel), "Romey," and "The Pimp in the Box" by acquaintances and the Clones. Dozens of athletes and coaches have been tagged by Rome with nicknames, including Mike Krzyzewski ("Coach kruh-ZOO-skee"), Terrell Owens ("to"), Michael Jordan ("45"), Barry Bonds ("Bar-roid"), Manny Ramirez ("Man-Ram"), Alex Rodriguez ("B of A Rod"), and Bill Belicheck ("Hoodie"). Affiliate cities that have received nicknames include the Los Angeles area ("So-Cal"), Rochester ("Crapchester"), Omaha ("Bugaha"), and Washington, D.C. ("The District"). Regular bits Although the show's content revolves around current, topical issues, it also has a number of recurring features, some of which appear almost daily and some which are more infrequent, including: *'Sarcastic Humor' - Rome's takes frequently contain deadpan sarcasm, which some callers have complained about and/or misunderstood. For new listeners, interpreting when Rome is being sarcastic and when he's serious is part of the show's learning curve. For example: On one occasion, a caller's take seemed to be more of a lame comedy routine. After the call was run, Rome said flatly, "Clones, you are not funny...I, on the other hand...am quite amusing." Unsuspecting listeners might take that as Rome being disgustingly conceited, but Clones would consider it merely a clever way to ridicule the caller's bit. Rome will also use "allegedly" or "reportedly" in a sarcastic fashion when describing a story that is widely perceived to be true, but not journalistically or legally proven. If someone does something outrageous or unusually foolish, Rome will occasionally say that he/she is being criticized by another person who did something similar. Another way that Rome adds sarcasm to his takes is by saying what he means to say, then interrupting himself with a loud "ERRRRR!" to say something that has a more positive spin. *'"War"' - Parodying Auburn's battle cry "War Eagle," callers and emailers frequently recite the phrase "War" followed by their favorite team, player, or other activity, to show their fondness of it. "Un-war" is used to note something that has fallen out of favor. (See here for details.) *'Jungle Karma' - Rome maintains that an athlete's appearance on the show or failure to appear for whatever reason will create (respectively) good or bad "Jungle Karma," improving or diminishing the athlete's performance in an upcoming game. He points to the outcome of games after appearances on his show as "evidence." However unscientific it may be, anecdotal evidence seems to suggest the trend may be true. Rome has stated that "the Karma does not discriminate," referring to its effects being dissociated from whether Rome likes or dislikes an athlete. Additionally if an athlete is unable to fulfill his commitment to the show because of circumstances beyond his/her control, no bad Jungle Karma is unleashed upon his/her team.http://www.ottawasun.com/Sports/Senators/2007/05/10/4167932-sun.html *'Tongues' - Many college football teams reward players for exceptional plays by affixing decals to their helmets. Well-known examples include Ohio State, whose players have buckeye stickers, and Florida State, who rewards players with tomahawk stickers. Rome decided that when he has an exceptional segment on the show, he puts a tongue sticker on his microphone. *'Border Wars' - Often when leading up to a significant event (such as the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, etc.), or after a controversial game, fans of the teams will call or email the show and denigrate the opposing team's city. This usually degenerates into a back-and-forth "war" between inhabitants of the two cities where nearly every call or email Rome receives is from someone looking to weigh in. It is also quite common for callers in one city to provoke another for seemingly no reason other than its existence. *'"Freaking"' - When Rome is exceptionally impressed with an athlete or other celebrity, especially after an interview, he will refer to them using the middle-name title "Freaking." The first such guest was Evel Knievel, who conducted an unforgettable interview, such that Rome from that point on referred to him as "Evel Freaking Knievel." Many others have been given this distinction, including NASCAR driver Richard Petty, who told Rome about how he drove in the 1980 Talladega 500 with a broken neck. Rome's response after the interview was "Richard Freaking Petty." *'The Smartest People in the Jungle' - Rome has bestowed this honor upon those whom he considers the most intelligent people he's interviewed on the show. Honorees include: Al Michaels, Bob Costas, the late David Halberstam, Jim Lampley, John Feinstein, and Hubie Brown, with Lampley declared the smartest on June 7, 2006. Alternates include Joe Buck and George Will. Caller Jeff in Richmond received an honorable mention after stating that he was "born and bred for success and achievement." Takes The principal portion of the show's content is Rome's takes on topical issues in sports, as well as odd news stories. Rome begins each show with a monologue consisting of abbreviated takes on the topics he intends to cover during the show. As the show progresses, he will elaborate his take on each topic, adding in new material and also commenting on any phone calls and e-mails that add to or contradict his takes. If new topics are broached, Rome will usually give takes on them as well. Rome's takes are essentially spoken-word editorial columns, and as such are direct and to-the-point, opinionated, and critical and/or sarcastic, depending on the topic. This approach is one of the principal facets of his "smack talking" broadcast style, and is what helped him make a name for himself. However, it has also led to controversy, as both Rome and the show have been criticized for the pervasively negative attitude displayed toward foolish behavior from athletes and celebrities. In response, Rome has stated that the moment that people stop doing stupid things is the moment he will stop talking about people doing stupid things. There are a large number of takes which have gained notoriety on the show and which are frequently "reset" (brought back up) if they are relevant to the day's discussion, or if Rome wants to re-introduce the topics to new listeners. Interviews In addition to his takes, Rome conducts interviews with sports (and occasionally pop culture) personalities. Most interviews are done over the telephone; however, he will sometimes have an in-studio guest, who usually stays for several segments. Rather than having prescheduled guests for interviews, Rome relies on Jason Stewart to contact potential interviewees, and sometimes does not know who will be on the show until the day before their appearance. This approach sometimes leads to guests not showing up, or losing their calls in the middle of an interview. If an interviewee is expected to call in during a given segment, Rome notifies the Clones that the prospective guest is "on the clock," a reference to a phrase often uttered during the NFL Draft. There is not a set number of interviews per day, but the show averages about one per hour, per day. All interviews are recorded and saved. The most memorable are often reset in future shows as sound bites. Telephone calls Rome encourages listeners to call the show, and frequently drops the show's phone number, with the caveat that calls will be screened by J-Stew. However, phone calls do not take priority over Rome's own takes and the scheduled interviews, so he only fields a handful of calls during any given broadcast, and has on occasion not taken any calls. He is highly critical of radio talk shows which emphasize phone calls, opining: "When some radio jock says 'No one takes more calls than me; this show is about you, the caller,' what that guy is actually saying is 'No one has worked less and has less to say than I do.'" Rome also states that "more of me and less of you is better for the show," although he will sometimes take several calls if listeners with a history of good calls are calling the show, or if he has discussed a particularly hot or controversial topic which is generating a large amount of response. Rome frequently describes the segments in which interviews are not scheduled as "wide open" or "open phone." Rome responds to greetings, questions, and compliments, but otherwise offers callers free rein to give their takes. If he especially enjoys a call, he will announce that the call be "racked"; this is a signal to Alvin to save the recording of the call. On the other hand, he is notorious for "running" callers who perform especially poorly. These calls are interrupted with a loud buzzer and immediately ceased; the caller will often be ridiculed by Rome and the Clones. Although Rome is said to run calls, it is actually Alvin who performs the task. Occasionally, Alvin will run a call that Rome does not feel merited being run. If this happens, Rome lets the caller know that Alvin was responsible. Rome has a number of rules regarding what callers can and can't do in their calls: *The ultimate, all-encompassing rule: "Have a take, don't suck, or you'll get run." *Callers who are unenthusiastic, incoherent, extremely offensive, or who are obviously reading their takes are immediately run. *Callers who are "flaming out" (losing their train of thought or stumbling through charismatic articulation) are expected to acknowledge such, and hang up on their own to keep from getting run. *Callers are sometimes on hold for long periods of time before they make it on air; those who complain about how long they have been on hold are usually run, with Rome ridiculing them for wasting their own time. *Due to a seven-second delay, callers must listen to the show through their telephone with their radio turned off. Otherwise, when Rome puts them on-air, they will miss their cue, get run, and be subject to ridicule. Rome often comments on how if he can hear his voice through the phone (due to the delay), the caller is not paying attention. *Callers are expected to pay attention to the show and generally stay on-topic. This was exemplified once when Rome reset his "gambling degenerates" take. Thinking he heard the name "Ellen DeGeneres" over the radio, a caller started defending the actress, and was immediately run. *Callers cannot start their calls by stating their names. Whenever Rome goes to callers, he announces their names and where they are from. Callers who repeat this information will frequently be run, and Rome will ridicule them for telling him something he and the listeners already know. *Callers should refrain from singing (whether actual songs or parodies), on the grounds that those who attempt to sing typically have no business doing so. Three exceptions to this rule include: long-time caller "Iafrate;" an opera singer named Andrew who used to call the show; and after Smack-Off 2005, when callers made pitiful attempts to complete Terrence in Sierra Madre's song, "Hey, Mister J-Stew." Formerly, caller Willie in K.C. was also allowed an exception for his song parodies, due to their cleverness, until he was permanently banned from the show for a call that was deemed anti-Semitic. *Callers cannot make their takes into poems. Clever haikus are the sole exception. *Callers cannot use their own made-up nicknames (referred to as "self-glossing"). Nick in Green Bay stated that his friends called him "Dinglebomb." To this, Rome responded, "Your friends may call you 'Dinglebomb,' but I'm going to have to stick with Nick from Green Bay." Sometimes, J-Stew will direct the caller to state his nickname to Rome, in an attempt to get the caller run. Such was the case with the caller Ray in Huntsville. When Rome greeted him, Ray responded with "Thanks for the vine, Jim, but my name is actually 'RayDog'." Rome simply said, "'RayDog,' what's up?" and the buzzer immediately followed. Occasionally, callers will avoid J-Stew's trap, mention the baiting on-air, and subject J-Stew to ridicule from Rome and the Clones for the rest of the day. *Callers (and e-mailers as well) cannot substitute female names in place of male names in order to make their point or to question an athlete's masculinity. This is due to an incident Rome had early in his career with Jim Everett, in which Everett assaulted Rome because Rome called him "Chris" (referring to female tennis player Chris Evert). Rome has, in a tongue-in-cheek manner, stated repeatedly that this tactic "is not what we're/the show's about". *Callers are discouraged from predicting that their calls will be strong enough to get "racked" on the grounds that the vast majority of such calls have been of poor quality. Ultimately, a call may end in one of four ways: #Calls that violate the aforementioned protocols are almost always run. #Noteworthy calls that follow the established rules, make concise points, and are peppered with amusing "smack talk" (the latter generally preferred but not required) are finished by the caller on their own terms. Exceptional calls will be "racked" by Rome. #Mediocre calls that make a point Rome wishes to expand upon are interrupted by Rome without the buzzer. #Satisfactory calls that encroach on a hard commercial break are usually interrupted by Rome. Rome is typically apologetic about cutting short a call due to commercial break; however, callers are never allowed to stay on hold during the break to resume the call. Occasionally, Rome will declare a Friday show as a "Zero Tolerance Friday;" on these Fridays the rules for callers are more strictly enforced. Rome has a particular fondness for calls from members of law enforcement, especially those on-duty. At the end of their calls, Rome requests that they "prove" they are on-duty by turning on their siren. Callers frequently include derogatory smack directed at other Clones in their calls. Rome refers to this as "Clone-on-Clone violence" and has a somewhat dim opinion of it, as it detracts from time that could be used for sports takes, although he does not discourage it. Huge Call of the Day At the end of the show, the best overall call is dubbed The Huge Call of the Day and replayed with much fanfare. There are no set criteria for what earns a call Huge Call status. Most Huge Calls feature exceptionally insightful and/or pointed commentary, and/or a great deal of smack that is not only articulate but inventive and humorous. On rare occasions, an extremely odd call will be named as the Huge Call. Sometimes a Huge Call from a previous show or a notable Smack-Off call will be replayed if no calls get racked. Rome will also use segments of an interview as the Huge Call if he feels it is appropriate. Notable instances include interviews conducted during the broadcasts on Radio Row during the week before the Super Bowl (when Rome takes few if any calls) and a 2006 interview with Jeff Gordon. If content in the show’s last segment runs over the time needed to play the Huge Call, it will be played in part or not at all. Sometimes Rome will award Huge Call winners with a prize, typically provided by a show sponsor. These prizes have included the Slingbox and gift cards from J.C. Penney. Callers There are a number of Clones whose history of solid calls to the show have earned them "legendary" status. There have also been a number of callers whose calls have become "infamous" on the show due to their poor quality; these calls are frequently reset for mocking and/or comedic effect. E-mails Rome frequently reads emails on-air, usually around ad breaks. Some emails are simple statements of satisfaction about the show or comments on interviews. However, many emailers write their messages in the voice of athletes, public figures, or even the aforementioned "infamous callers," responding with a comment that reflects one of that person's most embarrassing public moments. These particular emails almost always relate to whatever topic(s) were just discussed on the show, usually in a sarcastic and/or ironic fashion. Occasionally emailers will sign their contributions from "Rome's Dad," "Rome's Sister," etc. Rome will always mention that it is funny when his "family" emails the show, yet do not know their own name. Rome also mentions that it would be miraculous to receive an email from his father, who is deceased. Occasionally a Clone will email him as J-Stew, prompting Rome to wonder why J-Stew, on the other side of the glass, would email him and not speak to him directly. In addition to writing in the voice of a famous person, some emails are written in the voice of an inanimate object. The most creative and obscure personified items are the most popular, and are often read on-air. A large portion of the audience listens from work, and is presumably sitting in front of a computer either in their office or cubicle. Whenever something extremely funny happens on the show, many emailers claim they laughed so hard they spit coffee, soda, or even food all over their monitor or keyboard, some jokingly suggesting that it is now ruined. Emailers frequently add postscripts, such as "war-" (see "War" reference above), smack about other emailers, or qualifications. Emailer Dave in St. Louis began the custom of using qualifications with "non-hunter," a veiled reference to a press release by PETA that suggested male hunters have small genitalia. Sexual preference, ethnicity, or marital status are also used as qualifications. Dave in St. Louis has also popularized the use of the expression "Make the world a better place, punch (an unpopular/undesired person or group of people) in the face", a sentiment that Rome often disagrees with. Another common postscript, "___ lives here" can be props or ridicule of a certain team, etc. It is in reference to a sign seen at the November 9, 2006 Rutgers vs. Louisville game which stated "Undefeated lives here." (Rutgers had started the season a surprising 9-0, but lost the very next week). If Rome dislikes an email's content, he will often heckle the author, then discard it by crumpling the printout in front of the microphone (or activating a paper-crumple sound effect). Allegedly to stave off floods of these kinds of emails, he will warn listeners of jokes and references that he does not want to see. Offensive emails can also earn the author criticism from other Clones. A prime example came on May 22, 2006, when Julian in D.C. suggested that Elmer's and Alpo were ready to welcome Barbaro to work for them after breaking down in the Preakness Stakes. Rome likes to ridicule emailers for poor spelling and grammar. While he understands that most emails are written quickly and are not proofread, he will often mention extremely bad cases on-air. During the last half-hour of the show, Rome will announce the Huge Email Contest, in which he reads a handful of emails which were especially funny and/or interesting. Sometimes he will declare a winner, but this is not held to the same level of prestige as the Huge Call of the Day. More often than not, there will not be a contest, due to a lack of quality emails. Some Clones have achieved "legendary" status in the Jungle for the frequency and/or content of their emails. Chad in Portland, Mike T in C-Town, Francis in Glendale, and Dark Gable are well-known email Clones. Back in the early days of the show, before the public ubiquity of Internet email, Rome accepted faxes from the Clones and ran a Huge Fax Contest on the show. The customs surrounding email contests and on-air reading of emails are thought to have evolved from this beginning. According to Rome, Travis Rodgers maintains a bulletin board which features the best or oddest emails which have been received on the show. Occasionally Rome will receive an email which he feels merits inclusion on the bulletin board, and will ask Rodgers if it is worth adding to the board. Like the Huge Call, on occasion, Rome will offer prizes to the Huge Email of the Day, particularly if the sponsor has a large number of prizes to distribute. Past prizes have included buckets of David's brand sunflower seeds, Planet of the Apes DVD box sets, and, more recently (and on extremely rare occasions), even a Slingbox. Those emails that do win such prizes are usually thought -out, prose-style missives, in contrast to the "quick-hits" that make up the vast majority of emails received and read on the show. Soundbites Rome has a large archive of soundbites from celebrities and regular people who said or did something embarrassing or unusual within range of a microphone, and he loves to mine this archive for on-air ridicule. A clip is usually only played when a take, either from Rome or a caller, makes reference to it. In July 2006, in the wake of the Manual Buzzer take (see below), show engineer Alvin Delloro created a medley called "Alvin's Mix," consisting of pieces of dozens of classic soundbites used since the show's inception. Alvin continues to add more soundbites to the mix, and it was last updated on August 3, 2007. Rome has described "Alvin's Mix" as sixteen years of radio rolled into a little over five minutes. Alvin occasionally plays the mix in double-speed, backwards, or half-speed, for comedic effect. Music and sound effects Like other radio talk shows, The Jim Rome Show has distinctive bumper music and sound effects integrated into its format. At six minutes after each hour, the show opens with the song "Lust for Life" by Iggy Pop (in the first hour, three rings of a bell, such as those used in boxing matches, precede the song). The segment at the bottom of each hour opens with "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N' Roses, referring to the show's nickname. The final segment of the show is opened by the song "Up All Night" by The Boomtown Rats, which was used in Rome's original late night show in San Diego. Other songs used as bumper music for commercial breaks include "Jungle Boogie" by Kool & the Gang, "Reptila" by The Strokes, "Summer" by Sum 41, "The Beautiful People" by Marilyn Manson, "By The Way" by The Red Hot Chili Peppers, "The Breaks" by Kurtis Blow, "So Whatcha Sayin'?" by EPMD, "Happy?" by Mudvayne, "Got the Life" and "B.B.K." by KoЯn, "Are You Gonna Go My Way" by Lenny Kravitz, "Killing in the Name" and "Bulls on Parade" by Rage Against the Machine, "Styrofoam" by Fugazi, "American Idiot" by Green Day, "The Rock Show" and "All the Small Things" by Blink-182, "Zero" by The Smashing Pumpkins, "Righteous" by Eric Johnson, "Juicebox" by The Strokes, "Ironhead" and "Unsung" by Helmet, "My Little Problem" by The Replacements, "Easy Skanking" by Bob Marley and "Romeo Delight" by Van Halen. After the Huge Call of the Day is played, the bell rings three times again, a quick sound drop is played, and "Lust for Life" is played again to close the show. Sound drops used include: *"That's whack" - Ex-Lakers head coach Del Harris attempting to say a line from Shaq's rap album. *"Ohhh, unbeebable" - A quote by golfer Jumbo Ozaki, when asked about Tiger Woods. *"I think what I'm supposed to say is thank you, I'm out" - taken from a call by an elderly lady who surpassed all expectations, delivering an impressive smack-filled call. *"Yes! And it counts!" - A trademark call by Marv Albert, which he uses during basketball games. *"That's-When-You-Know-What-The-Answer-To-That-Question-Is" - Boxing referee Mills Lane during his Tyson/Holyfield post-fight press conference. *"Without the nicks and cuts of a blade" - J-Stew in a Norelco commercial. *"Clones is strong as horseradish!" - a quote from a program director who wanted to drop the show from his station *Denny Neagle imitating a steam whistle. *A clip of Rome saying "HU-HU-HU-HU-HUUUUUGE!" (possibly digitally altered to achieve the effect) Special shows Smack-off The Smack-Off is an annual dick invitation-only competition, held in mid-to-late spring and which takes up the entire program on a Friday. The contest is a way to recognize the best callers to the show, as well as a means of determining the best caller of the year. Rome refers to the Smack-Off as the most important show of the entire year. Year in review In late December, Rome holds a special program called the "Year in Review." This was originally a one-day affair but was extended to three days in 2001 and two days in 2006. Going month by month, he recounts the good, the bad, and the ugly of the year that was in sports. He also mixes in the best of the off-beat news stories that were featured on the show. For this show, Rome schedules no guests and takes far fewer phone calls, preferring e-mail responses. Tour stops A Tour Stop is a limited access show, often held in an arena or other large venues, and featuring sports-related guests, activities and surprises. A few times throughout the year, Rome will reward a syndication city with a Tour Stop. Radio row During Super Bowl week, Rome typically broadcasts live from Radio Row on-location at the game's host city. Since there are many celebrities that peruse Radio Row, the show's format is more interview-oriented, allowing Rome to conduct many impromptu interviews with passers-by. As a result, far fewer calls are taken and fewer emails are read. Holidays On holidays (Christmas, Thanksgiving, Independence Day, Labor Day, etc.), a pre-recorded Best of the Jim Rome Show is aired, hosted by producer Travis Rodgers. Rome reports The Jim Rome Show offers a 60-second teaser called The Rome Report for affiliates to air daily. The Rome Report usually offers a brief synopsis of one of Rome's takes from that day's program. The reports serve as commercials for the program, and are often broadcast during afternoon drive time. Guest hosts Rome's contract with Premiere Radio Networks stipulates copious paid vacation time. At length he preannounces when he is going to be "in the basement" (on vacation) and for how long. He justifies his frequent absences to the Clones by proclaiming, "I take a lot of vacation because I get a lot of vacation" (a parody of a comment made by Patrick Ewing during the 1998 NBA lockout). To ensure live content on days when Rome is absent, The Jim Rome Show is hosted by a rotating stable of guest hosts, including: *Boxing/Olympic analyst Jim Lampley. Lampley has been known to blast emailers for poor grammar and overall stupidity. Rome sometimes resets a Lampley rant in which he ridiculed the "media-driven hype" surrounding the year 2000 and how it was erroneously referred to as the beginning of the new millennium. *Sportswriter Skip Bayless. When Bayless hosts, the show generally has a recurring theme, typical examples being his belief that the Ohio State Buckeyes stole the 2003 BCS Championship, his self-proclaimed addiction to Diet Mountain Dew, and his obsession with the beach volleyball scene in Top Gun (which Rome shares). Bayless also actively debates callers, as opposed to Rome, who rarely does so. Bayless is a polarizing and unpopular guest host, and many Clones call him "Skip Clueless." Rome, for his part, has no problem with Bayless and occasionally needles the Clones with the news that Bayless will be guest-hosting. *Author and columnist John Feinstein. Feinstein's appearances are usually low-key in tone and dominated by interviews. He also appears frequently on the show as the subject of a Rome interview. *Former ESPN anchor and current NFL Network personality Rich Eisen. Eisen once commented that he had always thought the show's email address was "rome@habitate.com" until he guest-hosted. (The actual address is rome@haveatake.com, but Rome tends to say "haveatake" quickly.) *'Roger Lodge', host of Blind Date and a frequent interview guest on The Jim Rome Show. Lodge is also a frequent panel guest on Rome's ESPN program Jim Rome Is Burning. *Fox Sports Radio personality Andrew Siciliano (from Gametime Live). On May 12, 2006, while Siciliano was guest-hosting, a caller coined the term "teammateship" (referencing Barry Bonds as an example of bad "teammateship"). This amused Siciliano, who remarked that the term should be entered on the Wikipedia article about The Jim Rome Show. Shortly thereafter, a caller stated that he had done so, prompting Siciliano to wonder "where these Wikipedia people come from." Siciliano has quickly gained favor with Rome, and he is usually the one to substitute if Rome leaves on short notice. Andrew is referred to as "Van Whack" by most of the Clones. Siciliano is also a frequent panel guest on Rome's ESPN program Jim Rome Is Burning. *Pop culturists Randy and Jason Sklar (of the ESPN Classic program Cheap Seats), whose subject matters are rather random. Randy is also a frequent panel guest on Rome's ESPN program Jim Rome Is Burning. *KLAC radio personalities Petros Papadakis and Matt "Money" Smith. The pair, who host an afternoon show for the sports-talk radio station and Jim Rome Show affiliate, filled in for Rome on Presidents Day 2007 and during Fourth of July week that same year. Papadakis has also appeared on Jim Rome Is Burning. *WDFN radio personalities Mike "Stoney" Stone and Bob "Wojo" Wojnowski. The pair, who host an afternoon show for the Detroit sports-talk radio station and Jim Rome affiliate, filled in for Rome on July 13, 2007. Stone has also appeared occasionally as a subject of Rome interviews. *Kansas City Star sportswriter Jason Whitlock, who has also appeared as a subject of Rome's interviews. *Comedian Jay Mohr. Mohr also occasionally calls in to Rome's show. He participated in the 2007 Smack-Off and finished in 7th place. *Actors Jerry Ferrara and Kevin Connolly from HBO's Entourage hosted the show on August 15, 2007. The idea for Ferrara to host the show came about in an interview two weeks prior to Ferrara's guest-hosting, when Rome offered Ferrara a guest-host spot next time he goes on vacation, and Ferrara indicated his willingness to fill in as host. Former guest hosts of the show include: *Fox Sports Radio personality Steve Czaban. He hosted several consecutive days in 2001 when Rome's son Jake was born, but no longer guest-hosts. Future of the show Since its inception, The Jim Rome Show has always been offered on terrestrial radio, and has not been offered on satellite radio. The show is, however, offered on streaming and podcast through the official web site. On May 6, 2003, Rome made a return to TV with Rome Is Burning (later Jim Rome Is Burning) on ESPN, and occasionally hinted about switching the radio program to satellite, or abandoning the radio program altogether, in favor of television full-time. Rome is often quite vocal about his frequent displeasures with affiliates, specifically those who do not carry the entire three hours, air the show on tape delay, or frequently pre-empt the broadcast. Rome has openly admitted that he is intrigued by the idea of satellite radio and broadcasting the program free of affiliates' interference. However, he is also aware of some listeners' problems with paying for satellite radio, and has received numerous phone calls and e-mails from terrestrial radio listeners who have said that the humor of the show has brought them through difficult times or keeps them entertained at work. On April 27, 2006, Rome stated that he will keep the radio program going, but initially made no commitment to satellite or terrestrial. On July 11, 2006, Rome announced that he signed a multi-year deal wih Premiere Radio Networks to keep the show on terrestrial radio. In addition, he stated that the show may be simulcast on satellite radio in the future.http://www.premiereradio.com/news/view/150.html. Clear Channel provides content exclusively to XM Satellite Radio, including the entire Fox Sports Radio network. See also *List of content and features on The Jim Rome Show *Jim Rome *Smack-Off *Jim Rome Tour Stops *''Jim Rome Is Burning'' References *When in Rome: Heterosexism, homophobia and sports talk radio David Nylund, GLAAD Center for Study of Media & Society (academic analysis of the show format, PDF document). External links *The Jim Rome Show — official site **[http://www.jimrome.com/archives/smack/smacktionary.html Smacktionary] - link to the Smacktionary section of the official site *Jim Rome - Rome's page at Premiere Radio Networks' official website *JungleTourStop.com — unofficial site with pictures from recent tour stops *Stucknut.com — Forum and chat room for Jim Rome fans *JungleTourStop.com — unofficial site with videos, soundbytes *The Jungle Comes to Madison: Anatomy of a Jim Rome Tour Stop—unofficial site with pictures from the Madison Tour Stop and multi-chapter monograph about the Madison Tour Stop and Jim Rome in general. *Classic sound bites Several of the "classic sound bites" in one MP3 file *[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000C2BW Welcome to the Jungle] - Rome's CD, featuring older takes and some bumper music *http://www.myspace.com/cockfightswithrome Jim Rome's CockFighting Page (CAA) Jim Rome Show, The